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Keepin' It Kayfabe

So the thing I love most about wrestling is the stories and characters. I will talk booking, I will talk backstage politics but ultimately it isn't as interesting and I feel like at a certain point it becomes very toxic to my fandom. What really gets me excited though is talking about the actual stories.

SO

I wanted to create a kayfabe only thread to chat WWE. Let's talk characters, let's talk motivation, let's geek out over narrative and story.

I'll start out by bringing up the recent turn of my favourite wrestler Dean Ambrose and the Chronical that went with it.

What did you think of his character? Has he actually changed or was he this guy all along? What caused him to change?

I have my own theories but what do you think?

Feel free to bring up other characters too. I'm just starting things with Dean.

I'm very interested in the current Daniel Bryan story, I love how they have transitioned the 'fight for your dreams' mantra from an overwhelmingly positive thought into something negative. I feel like it could even say something about the modern age where we are told to follow our dreams to the end of the Earth no matter how unrealistic and the negative spiral that can send some people in.

What a great idea, Sam. I'm sure I'll be back in at some point as I did watch that Chronicle and it was a very interesting piece.

For now, though, I only have limited time so I'll just throw out a fair warning to anyone repeating, or even hinting at, the scurrilous rumours that pro-wrestling is predetermined in this thread, those posts will be deleted on sight! You've got the rest of the board to discuss those lies!

Finally, a thread to relentlessly plug my podcast Sports Entertainment is Dead which does exactly these things!

Dean has revealed himself to be a self-pitying hypocrite of the highest order. I can't help but feel he's deliberately indulging the idea people have of him as a lunatic too, with these shots and gas mask stunts. It's sneering, it's contemptuous. It's a petulant little boy lashing out.

If anyone could have helped him it was Seth. Instead, I just cannot wait to see Rollins burn Ambrose down and purge him of his self-inflicted misery.

The chronicle seemed to show a man that was essentially overwhelmed by his own frustrations, more than anything else. Not helped, of course, by other people getting into his head, playing on that frustration. And once the deed was done it was like there was maybe a sense of regret but that at the same time he'd gone too far to not go the whole way.

I haven't really seen much since with the exception of Seth's promo at Survivor Series, so I don't know how it's really played out since then.

I would add self righteous to self pitying there. A very dangerous combination indeed.

I have a bit of a theory formulated that over the years Dean has become very wary of being 'used' by someone to elevate themselves. Obviously a lot stems from Seth but also his upbringing where he had a dysfunctional family and was abandoned by his Father and even smaller things like the James Ellsworth story confirmed in his mind that if he isn't vigilant people he trsits will use him and then betray him when the time is right for them. The only 100% good relationship he has had around someone successful was Roman Reigns, when they fought for a title they embraced as brothers afterwards, there was no deception or selfishness on either man's part. It is no coincidence that Roman leaving was a catalyst for him to take action and beat Seth to the punch Dean assumed was coming based on the fact Seth had only called him back to help him defend the IC title and gain the tag team championships.

It isn't justified but it is kind of the backstory brewing in his mind that effects how he treats those close to him.

Kayfabe wise, we all know heels cost faces title matches that they are feuding with, but why wouldn't the heel just let the face win the title? The heel can then have the title put on the line in their match.

The person motivated by pure hatred will not want someone they hate to have those kinds of laurels in the first place. They'll be as motivated by spoiling their career as they are by success in their own.

There's also a chance that, deep down, some people just don't believe they can beat an opponent in a fair contest. Better to keep it from ever getting into their hands.

Love the idea of the thread, I just wish WWE explored the motivations of their characters more and not just from Network programming very few people would see. Its surface level so we have to guess and have theories about why someone did something.

Bryan's explanation makes sense to me; Basically having a awakening inside a Hyperbolic Chamber. It was always there, it just needed to be unlocked.

With Dean, I feel like even though it wouldn't be so heelish, it would make sense for all that Dean has been doing to point to Roman's illness. Dean is afraid and has no support from his best friend. Its a hard thing to really do for WWE because you can't play off someone that's not there.. and get that perspective.

But that's what makes sense to me. Dean loses it because of Roman. It has nothing to with the tired trope of fans. I do think Dean has always been this type of guy who is fiercely loyal but had a breaking point and now without anyone to trust.. he's gone. That evil side comes out.

I think with Bryan's character while he was shown to be a 'man of the people' he has actually always been a bit of an elitist particularly wrestling wise. This has shown up in a number of ways and even at his most popular in:
- his refusal to respect John Cena in the lead up to their Summer Slam match - particularly refusing to give John Cena the traditional japanese slap that Cena readily gave Bryan.
- his promos to Orton insinuating that his hard knocks are tougher than Orton's - a guy who wrestled Mic Foley to one of the greatest hardcore matches in WWE history and who has come back from numerous incredibly painful long term injuries.
- the way he treated The Miz who also went through an incredible hazing process.

Outside of the ring, looking at his Total Divas character (and if you think reality TV makes it any less of a tv character then I've got a bridge you may be interested in purchasing) he is constantly on holier than thou art crusades and is particularly harsh to Nicki.

So yeah you are bang on LK3185, this is all just an extension of that turned up to eleven and I love how the 'fickle' bit has replaced 'YES!'.

I think with Bryan's character while he was shown to be a 'man of the people' he has actually always been a bit of an elitist particularly wrestling wise.

I don't think this is true, really speaking. Elitism is the kind of thing he's been subjected to by people like The Miz and Michael Cole - that whole attitude of 'if you don't do it in the big leagues it doesn't count'.

What he might be guilty of is the exact opposite of elitism, a kind of inverted snobbery by which one throws the values of the elite back into their faces. So it's kind of a 'you don't value what I do? Well, I don't think much of you'.